26. Puck
After my first fail—and yes, that’s all Kyra said—I decided to take it room by room. The other challenges were taxing, but this one takes the cake. It’s seemingly so easy, but I need to be meticulous, scanning over every inch of every room for so much as a speck of dust. It takes me eight failed inspections to pass the living room, and four to pass the first bedroom. My brain is fried.
I’m in my second pass-through of the second bedroom when I hear Kyra say, “Inspection passed. Here you go,” followed by a whoop from Lysandra. I poke my head out from my room to find her in a heap on the floor, clutching a scroll like it’s a life vest and she’s about to drown.
“However,” Kyra says as Lysandra kisses the clue. “I encourage you to stay the night and resume your trial in the morning. It’s dark in the seasonal courts, and the next one will be treacherous.”
“Will I have to clean the room when I leave?” The brownie shakes her head in amusement as she retreats downstairs.
“You gonna stay, princess?” I ask, leaning against the doorway. She startles, like she just noticed my presence, and groans as she stands.
“I don’t know. Probably.” She leans against the wall opposite me. “I’m going to shower. And eat. Then, I’ll decide.”
“I could help with your decision if you tell me what the clue says.” I waggle my eyebrows, and she rolls her eyes. Even though we’ve called off our truce, she’s lost some of the animosity she held for me before last night. Her dislike feels like it’s driven by competition, not hatred.
She should still hate me; I should hate her.
But hating her is exhausting.
After last night—after today—holding onto that grudge doesn’t seem worth it.
“Better get to it.” She gestures to my room. “Or you’ll still be here when I’m crossing the finish line.” With a laugh, she slips into a room and shuts the door behind her.
I chuckle, almost running my hand through my hair before I realize I’m still wearing yellow gloves that have cleaned goddess-knows-what, and think better of it. She’s right, though. Even if we both decide to stay overnight, I need to be done with this challenge so I can leave first thing in the morning.
Sighing, I turn back to the perfectly clean room and start hunting for whatever speck of dust I missed.
Finally, after three more inspections, an hour, and innumerable pleas to the goddess, Kyra says those two golden words: “Inspection passed.”
I want to pick her up and spin her around, but the look on her face warns me to stay away. Instead, I bow deeply and accept the scroll in her hand. Unrolling the parchment and holding it up to the light to make sure there aren’t any encoded symbols, I read the clue.
Don’t be swayed by their song
Just obtain a kiss
And travel to the depths
To receive your next and final clue
“Well fuck.” I knew Winter Court was the only remaining court besides Spring, but I hoped we wouldn’t have to deal with the sirens.
If the clue means what I think it does, we’re going to have to swim in the freezing water to get our clue. Flashes of memory assault me. The last time I was kissed by a siren was when I almost drowned. I’ve avoided water that deep ever since, and now I’ll be voluntarily jumping in and swimming to the depths.
Kyra was right. This will be impossible at night.
Not to mention the Winter Court is one of the most notoriously warded courts in the realm. Even the Underground, which runs underneath every single court, isn’t in Winter. The only way in is through a portal, and the only portal Seelie Fae can use is in the wastelands.
The wastelands are miserable. It’s miles of snow and ice and winds so harsh it’s impossible to see. The area is in a constant blizzard, and if this trial has taught me anything, the blizzard will be even worse today.
There’s no way we can go there tonight. We’ll die.
I need to call another truce. Lysandra knows a lot about the realm, but she hasn’t experienced the wastelands yet, and until one has experienced that level of cold, they don’t know how bad it is. Even Edina hates the wastelands, and I’ve seen her make snow angels in a bikini.
I knock on the door to Lysandra’s room and wait for a response. “Princess?” I call, knocking again in case she’s in the shower. I’m not one for modesty, and I’ve seen Lysandra mostly naked, but I selfishly want the first time I see her completely bare to be on purpose, not because I walk in on her in the shower.
Goddess, listen to me. The first time I see her bare. Like it’s a given. Like I plan to see her naked for the rest of my immortal life.
“Princess, open up. We need to talk about the next challenge.”
No answer.
I swing the door open and find the room empty. There’s a wet towel hung over a chair, and a protein bar wrapper in the trash can, but the room is otherwise deserted.
“She left half an hour ago,” Kyra says, appearing behind me as I move into the room, searching like she might be hiding under the bed. “I told her not to. The wastelands have been having a wolf problem.”
“Werewolves?” The full moon is a few days off. If it’s werewolves, it might not be so bad—
“The animal.”
“Damnit.” I run down the stairs to where I abandoned my pack and furiously dig around until I find my insulated jacket, the fur-lined undergarments that will trap my body heat, and my thick boots.
“You have it bad,” Kyra comments as I yank out a hat, scarf, and gloves.
“Pardon?” I hastily dress, not caring that she has a full view of me as I add layers to my ensemble.
“You’re not leaving because you’re afraid of losing. You’re leaving because you’re worried for Her Highness’ safety.”
“I don’t want to lose.”
“You can lie to yourself all you like, but I watched how you stole glances at her all evening.” I don’t reply, but something in my chest tightens painfully. “If I’m wrong, let her die. Then, you’ll win,” she challenges.
In response, I jam my hat over my ears and step into the blistering heat and sunshine of Day Court. I have to hike down the warm hills to the portal in Summer Court in this gear, but I’ll cool off fast enough.
I can only pray to the goddess Lysandra’s clothes are as warm as mine. Otherwise, I may not find her alive.
The darkness here is oppressive, smothering in a way even the Night Court doesn’t manage. I can barely see my hand in front of my face, let alone the terrain around me. From the moment I exited the portal, I’ve been assaulted by snow, wind, and hail. I didn’t know it could hail and snow at the same time, but Winter managed it.
I hate this court.
This storm feels too deliberate to be anything but magical. Every time it looks like it’s lightening up or I’m going to cross into a section where it isn’t as bad, it gets worse. My hands tingle in my gloves, there’s ice crusted in my hair, and my teeth chatter loud enough to reverberate in my skull.
I have no idea where Lysandra is, but I keep trudging. If she realized the clue alludes to the sirens, she’d be heading toward the sea. She has to be. The thought that we’re not on the same path, that I’m nowhere near finding her, makes my stomach drop into my soaking wet boots.
It’s too cloudy to navigate by the stars so I’m going toward the sea by memory. Everything looks the same, dark mounds of snow barely illuminated by the moonlight. Even with the headlamp I grabbed from my pack—a brilliant addition by Edina—the visibility is shit.
Goddess, this is awful.
There’s no sense of time as I traipse through snow drifts. The longer I go without sight of Lysandra, the more I panic. Sweat slickens my skin beneath my layers, having little to do with the exertion. I need one sign that she’s alive. Footprints, disturbed piles of snow, a missing glove. Anything.
I stumble upon a cave but don’t have to go inside to know it’s empty. There’s no sign of a fire, no snowy footprints in the entrance—no sign of life. My body screams at me to stop, to get out of the storm. But I can’t. Not without her.
The brownie’s words echo in my head like a song I can’t escape; just because I don’t want her to die doesn’t mean I have feelings for her. Not by a long shot. Sure, fucking her was an experience I’d liken to seeing the goddess, but that means nothing. She’s just a good lay. Besides, I was so horny anyone would have seemed mind-blowing.
Even if I do care about her, it’s not like it could go anywhere. Not while we have the same goal.
“Where the hell could she be?” I curse aloud. She needs to be close. There’s no way she made it to the cliffs above the ocean yet. She didn’t leave that far ahead of me, and my legs are twice as long as hers. I should have caught up to her by now.
“Lysandra,” I bellow, my voice losing the battle against the harsh wind. I call out again and again, hoping if I can’t see her, at least I’ll hear her. “Come on, princess.”
I stumble toward the cave. Maybe I have goggles in my pack. I don’t remember seeing them on the list, but it’s possible. If I can see better, I’ll be able to find her.
A wolf howls in the distance.
Fuck.I was so worried about the cold I forgot about the wolves.
“Lysandra,” I roar, terror overtaking me. If she’s out there alone with a wolf—
A faint moan reaches my ears. I spin wildly, searching for any sign of her. “Princess!” I head in the direction of the sound. After one more moan, I take off as fast as my feet can carry me. I bring my knees to my waist as I bound over the snow drifts, calling Lysandra again and again so I can keep on track.
I crest the largest snow drift, sweeping my headlamp over what I think is a snow-covered rock until the light catches vibrant purple hair. Her face is buried in the snow with her pack still on her back in a large hump.
Another howl sounds, this one closer. They’ve picked up our scent.
“Princess?” I turn her over. Her lips are blue and her eyes are fighting to stay open. I yank off my glove and press my fingers to her pulse point. It’s weak…too weak.
“I need to get you inside,” I say, more to myself than to her.
“Puck,” she slurs, opening her eyes long enough to see me. I press my hand against her cheek, hoping my body heat will transfer into her a little. “I’m so tired.”
“You need to stay awake for me,” I insist. She nods, but her eyes drift closed again. “Lysandra.” She doesn’t open them.
Without thinking, I hoist her and her pack over my shoulder, gripping tightly as she lolls against me, her head bobbing against my back. I don’t hesitate, going straight to the cave. I need to get her out of this blizzard. I need to make sure she’s okay.
She’s not okay. Hell, I’m not sure either of us will be.
It doesn’t take too long to get into the cave, and as we enter, I feel magic against my skin. A protection spell. The cave has a protection spell over it.
Somewhere nearby, a wolf snarls, but it won’t be able to get to us.
Thank the goddess for small miracles.
Now, I need to make sure we don’t die from hypothermia.